Dee's Cart With A Heart

Somehow both Robert and I were too busy to make a hot dog excursion last week; so we were ready for hot dogs at lunch on Thursday. We are at the point where we are having to get a little more creative and go to a little more effort in our quest (to visit every hot dog server in Birmingham). We have both heard several glowing tributes to a hot dog cart in the area of UAB Hospital on Southside; so we decided to start finding the street vendors. We weren't even sure where to find Dee's but had no trouble spotting her at the busy corner of 7th Avenue South and 20th Street. Every day the weather permits, Dee parks her cart just around the corner from tho old University Hospital right outside the Dentistry Building. Her bright umbrella and hot dog shaped cart are hard to miss.


Here's an article about Dee that was in the Birmingham News a while back. LINK

So what did we find at Dee's. A surprisingly good product sold by a busy vendor with a loyal following! I went to our first street vendor prepared to lower my standards due to the difficulties of doing business from a cart only to find that Dee can compete with the best. We placed our order and chose to stand next to the cart to dine rather than walk down the block to some benches. It was interesting to see the mix of customers who came and went during our short time there. We noticed that she greeted several regular customers by telling them their usual order with a question mark on the end. One noticeable customer was a well dressed man in coat and tie who was buying his usual, an all beef dog with relish and mustard. He looked a little sheepishly at us and remarked how he should try some other options sometime; but I think he has found what he likes and doesn't need to experiment any more.

Here are some great positives we noticed:

• The chili on the chili dogs is definitely fresh home made chili with a great flavor. Maybe she should sell it by the bowl.
• Her drinks are stored in big tubs of ice and served ice cold.
• The hot dog shaped cart is a real winner.
• The prices are among the best values we have found anywhere.
  
• Dee is a stickler for hygiene putting on a clean plastic glove every time she starts an order.

There are thousands of people within a close walk of her stand every day; and parking can be difficult in that area. So one would not expect much drive up activity, yet we were able to park within 20 feet of her stand and saw at least one customer pull up and pause in the turn lane for an order, an order that was communicated by a wave. I don't remember seeing anything like this at any of the other places we have visited.

This is one of those places I plan to return to. My next visit will most likely coincide with a trip to UAB for some reason other than lunch, but also will most likely involve some special planning in my schedule. It is worth the effort.

Sammy's Old Fashion Hot Dogs

Today Robert and I visited Sammy's Old Fashion Hot Dogs. Sammy's is located in the strip shopping center just east of the location of the old Eastwood Mall. This shopping center is where K-Mart is located and backs up to Montevallo Road near Crestwood Blvd. I give the specific location because it is a little difficult to spot. The narrow space they occupy is located to the right of Dollar General almost behind a huge column.

Sammy's was started years ago by Sammy Guarino who is now a founder of Pop's (see last week). The current owners have had it for years and seem to have built a loyal following. I must say that Sammy's ranks among the friendliest hot dog stands we have visited. Early in our visit Robert told them about this blog and we talked a little about what we are doing. It is easy for these people to think this is a bigger deal than it is so I tried to put things in perspective.


Nevertheless, Michelle who works the counter, came out to talk with us as we ate. During our visit we learned about the pride they take in their hamburgers; we saw one and it definately looked good. Michelle thinks they have far surpassed the big specialty hamburger place nearby. We also talked about other items on the menu as well as some they don't carry. About the time we were finishing "Ike", Michelle's husband and master of the grill, showed up and gave us a "special dog" to try. Robert promptly cut it in half and we woofed it down.

That gray-headed old man is me preparing for my first bite of a Sammy's hot dog.
(Please ignore the expanding waistline)

We had talked about the special dog with Michelle as an item that they also pride themselves in. The few longtime readers of this blog may remember some of my previous comments about special dogs. They have never been a favorite of mine; in fact the usual presentation of a hot dog with a soupy gray beef concoction poured over it is something I really don't care for. BUT, the special dog at Sammy's is the first "special dog" I have ever had that I liked. The beef topping wasn't gray and was spiced sufficiently to add a good flavor. I'm glad I have found one of these special dogs that I like.

Overall the food at Sammy's ranks among the best we have found during the Great Birmingham Hot Dog Tour. The chili on the chili dogs was excellent, as well as their own special hot dog sauce which has a great flavor. We have observed that many hot dogs are served a little on the cold side; but not at Sammy's. The buns were fresh, soft and generally perfect.

I would offer them one piece of advice. I think they would do more business with better signage. As I said above, the narrow little shop is difficult to spot and easily missed. They should try to get a creative sign, maybe neon like Pete's, and have it placed on the big column that hides them from one side. Try to use the architectural barrier that makes them hard to see. Also it wouldn't hurt to redo the sign above their space to get it into good repair with a more eye catching design.

The bottom line is that I plan on returning to Sammy's for more.

Pop's Grill

There is a new player in town. Pop's is located on 20th street just south of five points in the same storefront that old guys like me will remember as the location of Mancha's many years ago. I still miss Mancha's after all these years, but now we are talking about hot dogs, not tamales. Here's a link to their web site: Pop's.

Those close to me will immediately see a connection in the name. A few years ago when my first grandson was born my wife and I announced our "grandparent names". These both were inspired by names from my own family. I had a grand mother that I never knew. Her passing at a relatively young age was before any of her grandchildren could know her but her nieces and nephews knew her as "Aunt Bunny". Bunny became the name our grandchildren would call my wife. My grandfather was always known to me and all of his grandchildren as "Pop". That became my grandfather name. Of course I kind of liked "Kingfish" but what do I know?

So here we were at a sandwich shop named after my grandfather and myself. I was hoping it would be good.

They offer much more than hot dogs at Pop's. In fact their menu made it particularly hard to stick to our usual order. The usual order was originally conceived to aid comparisons as we visited numerous hot dog servers. We have tried to always order a hot dog and a chili dog, both all the way. Today Robert gave in to temptation and ordered a hot dog and a junk yard dog. A junk yard dog is a hot dog with all available toppings. This one came with chili, hot beef, cheese, slaw, and hot dog sauce. Aaron, who was with us for his last time before starting a new teaching job on Monday, ordered a chili dog and a Chicago dog. We did share samples between us as we went through lunch.

OK, one might ask: "How was it?" I'll sum it up as good. Pop's cooks your food after you order so there is a little wait. That was fine with us, and is better than some of the instant presentations we have been given. They seem to really be concerned about the customer's experience.

So, who is Pop? The guy who started this place is Sammy Guarino, a long time player in the hot dog business in Birmingham. He started Pop's to help set up his daughter Heather in business.


Heather graduated from Birmingham's Culinard culinary school and has decided to go into her father's chosen segment of the food industry. We came to find out that everyone working at Pop's today (there were five of 'em) are family members. One has to admire a family with that level of commitment to each other and helping get a new business off the ground.

We also found out that contrary to the posted hours Pop's is open for a "second shift" very late at night. They are doing a brisk business in the late (and early?) hours each night. This is unusual for a hot dog stand, but not for a "grill". These folks are go getters trying to optimize their return on their investment. I say; "Go for it", this is true entrepreneurship.

Give this place a try. It's not Mancha's, but it's a good sandwich shop/grill/hot dog place.

One final note, take a look at the picture below. This is not a large place, but they have two mirrored walls facing each other. You can see "forever" if your eyes are that good.

Tip Top Grill - Hot Dogs with a VIEW!!

This week we decided to visit the Tip Top Grill in Bluff Park. Tip Top is located about a mile further out Shades Crest Road from Mr. P's. This is a truly unique hot dog place being in a converted filling station perched on the edge of the bluff tight beside "Lover's Leap". This place is a little off the beaten path for most of us but is worth the trip.


Somehow I have lived all of my life in Birmingham and totally missed this particular little spot on the edge of Shades Mountain. Tip Top Grill has one of the most beautiful mountain views in this area. With abundant outdoor seating it is the perfect place for lunch in pleasant weather. By using just a little imagination you can experience a short vacation in your visit to Tip Top.

They are open from early in the morning until mid afternoon six days a week and serve a good choice of breakfasts as well as sandwiches at lunch.


So, how's the food? We each had our usual order of a hot dog and a chili dog with a side of chips (fries for Robert) and a drink.
The dogs are good. The hot dogs are much like hot dogs one would get at most of the hot dog stands in Birmingham. The chili dog is good also. The chili is a little different, having a sweet taste, but has a very good flavor. If there is any thing to criticize it would be that they seem to skimp on the chili a little. This makes for a neat civilized hot dog that doesn't drip or overflow but just seems a little too civilized. I would encourage the customer to request extra chili; then if more is needed ask if they are running out.

Don't leap Robert; we can come back!

Did I mention the view? There is not only a view complete with a mountain top breeze, but a short little trail down the rocks to visit the inscription on one of the boulders hanging high above the slope to Shades Valley.

P.S. - the second visit:

I liked this place so much I wanted to return a few days later on Saturday and take my wife, youngest daughter and her husband. They were VERY busy on this beautiful Fall Saturday which indicates that I am far from the first to discover this place. I have found the way to get more chili on the chili dogs. After I was served I took my tray and filled my drink cup, then returned to the counter and asked for some more chili on my chili dog. Rather than taking my dog back they gave me a cup with more chili in it which worked out just right.

One more thought... Here's the story regarding the poetic carving in the rocks just below Tip Top:

One of Alabama's first legislators, Thomas W. Farrar came to the site and camped for several days with his new bride on what he then called Sunset Rock. The Farrar's were on their way from their New Orleans' wedding to their new home in Elyton in 1827. It is here where he carved the first four lines of "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage", a poem by Lord Byron.

"To sit on rock, to muse o'er flood and fell,
To slowly trace the forest's shady scene,
Where things that own not man's dominion dwell,
And mortal foot hath ne'er or rarely been,"

"It's Just Sonic"

Yes, we visited Sonic to try their hot dogs. I have watched their commercials featuring their foot-long chili cheese dogs many times and always thought they looked good. We made the choice due to our desire to make this a shorter time away from work. We had talked about this for quite a while and decided that the cool days we had last week would be a good time to sit outside and eat at Sonic. So here we went, Robert, Aaron and I. I'll jump to the end and tell you; we all agreed that by far the best part of this visit was eating outside on this beautiful fall day.






We had to make some changes from our usual order at a traditional hot dog stand. We all ended up with a foot-long chili dog. Some with cheese and onions, some without. Our sides included tater tots, fried pickles, and onion rings. I also ordered a corn dog giving me way too much to eat. I didn't try to eat it all but had plenty. We all shared our sides with each other so we were able to sample everything on the table.


Notice above... the container that says "Random Tots" contains fried pickles. I'm not a lover of pickles and would never have ordered these. I tried 'em and didn't find anything I would be wanting again.The final assessment for our visit can be summed up with the phrase; "It's just Sonic." Nobody thought this was a wonderful meal. The price was low, but compared to most places we have visited, so was the quality. We agreed we wouldn't go out of our way to go there for hot dogs again. I could continue this post with many observations but don't think Sonic is worth the trouble. My advice; if you want a hot dog keep driving, you can do much better than Sonic. They do have some pretty good options on their menu but hot dogs are not among them.

Mrs. Storey's Dairy Bar

This entry is a guest post written by my brother, Robert. He and I have visited over twenty hot dog servers together over the past few months. Here he is writing about a visit to Mrs. Storey's Dairy Bar in Opelika Alabama. I have heard several reports about this place and look forward to visiting it myself the next time I am in the area of the educational center of the universe, Auburn Alabama.

I was in a hurry to get back to the office after my meeting in Opelika, and had little time. But, I took a few minutes to stop at Mrs. Storey’s for the footlong Chili-cheese dog that had been promoted. Since you don’t do FaceBook, I have clipped and pasted below the postings surrounding that. The top part of it is just the end of the posting. It wouldn’t all fit on the screen at once, and I was most interested in your seeing the comments.

As I was about to leave my client’s office in Opelika – at the next exit up I-85 from where 280 runs into it, I mentioned that I was going to Mrs. Storey’s and all three of the local guys that were standing there when I said it all gave hearty endorsements. When I got there, the building has two order windows facing the front and it looked as though the man at the window on the left was busy doing something, I don’t recall what now, but as I approached that window, a lady’s voice came from the window on the right, cheerfully saying, “ I can take you over here!”. So as I started to head that direction, the man in the window on the left finished what he had been doing and said (with cheer in his voice as well), “I can take you right here, too”. So with my being closer to the window on the left, the man won-out. As I was ordering, I told him I wanted a chili-cheese dog. He asked if I wanted footlong or regular length. I hesitated for a split second, and he said “footlong”. I told him that I was from Birmingham and told him about the Great Bhm Hot Dog Tour and gave him a card. I said that someone had commented on one of the postings and said we needed to go there and try out the chili-cheese dog, so there I was, 90 miles from Birmingham, to try his chili-cheese dog. He said, “I think you’ll be glad you did”.

The service was fast and was provided with an above-average attitude. My footlong chili-cheese dog was not a disappointment at all. It was served hot and had lots of chili and cheese sauce on it. After our footlong at Sonic the day before, I have to admit, I wasn’t really expecting anything this good. The bun was fresh and soft, the coney itself did not appear to have been grilled. I don’t know how they cook them, but I suspect they are just cooked in water. Even with that, the coney was not as fatty-tasting as the Sonic one. The overall flavor of this c-c dog was outstanding. Each bite exploded with tasty flavor. I’m not sure what else was on there aside from chili and cheese sauce I may be wrong, but I think there was at least some other type of sauce as well. The chili was only meat and sauce, no beans, but it had a lot of flavor. . . a lot of good flavor. I got the dog and a coke and sat at a table outside to enjoy them in almost-perfect weather. I opted not to get chips as I had enjoyed a late breakfast and snacks during my meeting with my client in Opelika. It was plenty of food. As I ate, I noticed that there was a constant flow of traffic, and it appeared that all orders were quickly filled.

When I finished my dog, I wanted to go back and talk to the proprietor(s), but they had customers standing at both windows, so I just headed for the car. As I was about to get in the car, one of the customers in line hollered at me and indicated that the man inside wanted to talk to me. I walked over to the window, and he (while he worked) leaned over so he could get a good look at my face and asked, “How did we rate?”. I gave him a smile and thumbs up and assured him he got a top rating.

So, my assessment is. . . if you are ever in the Opelika area, or within an hour of there come lunch-time, you need to go to 1900 Pepperell Pkwy and visit Mrs. Storey’s Dairy Bar. If you turn off 280 onto Pepperell Pkwy, it’s just a little past the hospital on the same side of the road (left).

Gus's in Helena - Are there disappointments in life?

Yes there are disappointments in life.


This weeks visit ranks as one of those. This week we went to Gus' Hot Dogs in Helena. We asked the proprietor if this establishment is associated with Gus's downtown. The answer is no. He said that years ago he ran Gus's downtown but isn't associated with them now.

Robert and I as well as Aaron went there to sample their offering. Robert and I each ordered our usual, a chili dog and a hot dog, both all the way. Aaron ordered a chili dog and a "Polish Dog". We all added chips and a drink.


Aaron reported a good experience with the polish dog (see below). The polish dog is served with grilled onions and peppers (no mustard?). Robert and I have continued our practice of ordering a hot dog and chili dog at every visit. We have felt that the same order at every place helps with comparisons.

When we ate our dogs we made the following observations:

• The "chili" at Gus' is not chili at all, and it's hard to imagine eating a bowl of this stuff.
• The hot dogs were served at a temperature that is a little cooler than we would like.
• The onions on the dogs were stronger than any we have yet encountered (this was our 20th hot dog server), I mean POWERFUL.
  
• Below average! Sorry about that, I would love to give a better report but must be honest.
  

I went into doing these visits wanting to be positive and encouraging to the servers rather than critical but I must report a less than wonderful experience here. This has been confirmed by others who are not a part of this initiative.

Let's Go To YaYa's for a Q-Dawg

When you want a Q-Dawg there is only one place to go; YaYa's. This place sure wasn't on my radar screen but it's just the kind of place we have enjoyed visiting. They serve bar-BQ, grilled hamburgers, hot dogs, and Q-dawgs. A Q-dawg is a hot dog with kraut topped with pulled pork bar-BQ and sauce. When I talked about this to the folks in the office I got mixed reactions. I admit the concept makes one pause and think a little. It's probably not for everyone, just those who like good food. Of course you don't have to order a Q-dawg; you can get lots of other "samichs", or ribs on Friday or Saturday. For the real adventurer they also have a "nacho Q-Dawg", a Q-dawg topped again with nacho cheese sauce and peppers.

YaYa's is located on highway 119 about midway between Alabaster and Montevallo right in an area known as "Crossroads". We had to look for it because we drove right past it without seeing it the first time. YaYa's is a little trailer parked next to the building at the Pitstop gas station right at the crossroads intersection. We were told about this place by a friend of Robert's, who is the owner of Crossroads Cottage, Home of Forgotten Arts, which is right behind Yaya's.

When you get to YaYa's it doesn't take long before you encounter the proprietor, Tracy Hale who introduced himself to us saying; "Hi, I'm YaYa". This guy is an EXTROVERT and a delight to talk to. He see's himself as not only being in the food business but also the people business. He has quite a sense of humor which can be seen when you read some of his signs such as his posted hours of operation posted as:
MONDAY 10:57 - 3:37
TUESDAY 10:42 - 3:52
WEDNESDAY 10:50 - 4:51
THURSDAY 10:51 - 5:17
FRIDAY 10:37 - 5:67 (This must be another time zone!)
SATURDAY 10:39 - 6:39

He tells you the amount due for your order in "U.S. Currency".

We placed our orders and waited a few minutes while it was put together. We spent that time taking a few pictures and talking with our fellow customers. When we had our food we moved to the dining room, the picnic table under a beach umbrella just to the right of his trailer. I had told him about our mission, to eat at all the hot dog restaurants in the Birmingham area, and about the blog; so he came out and joined us at the table.





He started this business with a trailer restaurant that he took to festivals and other events but decided to find a permanent location so he could do a more consistent business. This is definitely a low budget location and operation but it's not low on quality, enthusiasm or service. They also have very good fried pies... not the factory ones like you get at Micky D's or Milo's... but real fried pies.



Now a few subjective observations:
* The barBQ sauce is a mild tomato based sauce with a good flavor.
* Their soft drinks are canned drinks kept in a cooler on ice!
* We agreed that this was the best value of ANY place we have visited so far.
* You just have to like this guy.
* While good, the Q-dawg wasn't the most flavorful samich I've had... I think a dash of salt would bring out more flavor.
* I have no doubts that I'll make a return visit to YaYa's.
* I'd like to see them serve Golden Flake chips or Zapps.

These hot dog guys like to play with spelling. A couple of weeks ago we went to "Sam's Super Samwichs" and now we go to YaYa's that shows "samichs" on the menu. That's fine... after all there's nothing high folutin bout hot dogs.

Revisiting Mike's in Homewood

Very early on the hot dog tour we visited Mike's Chicago Hot Dogs in Homewood. See Here. We decided we needed to revisit Mike's... or maybe we just wanted to go there again. Either way three of us proceeded to go to Mike's. This time I remembered to take my camera so we now have pictures.

Mike's still looks like somebody's back yard storage building transplanted to downtown Homewood. This visit was Robert and I along with the relatively new participant, Aaron. We also tried to include one of my daughters with no success. Unfortunately we didn't get to go when we thought we would. This kind of blew up our whole plan to meet at Mike's.

Regardless, the three of us got there for lunch. We had learned on our previous visit the Mike's serves "jumbo" hot dogs, and more than one is too much for most normal people; so we each ordered just one dog. I ordered a chili cheese dog while Robert ordered a chili dog and Aaron ordered a hotdog. We were very pleased to discover that they serve not only Golden Flake chips but also Lays and Zapps. I've made it clear that I like Golden Flake, our local chip, but I also like Zapps a great Southern product from Cajun country. So this time we ordered Zapps.

When we got our order we moved to one of the two dining rooms, the one on the right, and proceeded to eat.

These hot dogs are good as well as filling. Here's a couple of observations regarding Mike's:

1 - They have some specials or combos that don't appear on the menu.

2 - Their drinks at 75 cents are a good buy.

3 - They also offer a "Chicago style dog" dressed out like one would get in Chicago... but it's not on the menu.


Bottom line... Mike's is still a great place for lunch.

THE Hot Dog Blog

There is a guy I work with who just discovered that this blog exists. Everybody else in my office knows about it but somehow he has missed out. I must wonder where he has been the last few months. Of course he can't be bothered with actually reading the blog so he came to my door and asked; "Where would I get the best hot dog?" Rather than one single stand I gave him a short list of my favorites.

This made me start thinking about favorites and started a dialogue with Robert about our favorites. We discovered that we are not totally on the same page here and particularly don't remember as much as we would like about every visit. So we have made two decisions. First we are going to revisit a few places and second I have generated an evaluation questionnaire we are going to start using on all our visits. As we talked we discovered that on our recent visit to Sam's which was an "early lunch" Robert had been snacking during the morning and as a result was not particularly ready for lunch and accordingly not especially impressed. We will endeavor to keep that from happening again.

I will not rank my current list of favorites. I think they are all so close that any one could be the top on any given day. They are in alphabetical order:
Chris Z's
Full Moon Bar BQ
Jimmy's (Owned now by Chris of Chris Z's)
Lyric Hot Dogs
Sam's Super Samwichs
Scott's Koneys

This list could very possibly change but for now it's good.

One more item; I have not found ANYONE who has ever clicked the link on the left side of this blog to a "must see video". If you are interested in the history of hot dogs in Birmingham you have missed something good. This video was done by the "Southern Foodways Alliance" associated with Ole' Miss. Their purpose is to preserve, promote, and chronicle the culinary standards of the South.
The video is HERE. They also have some other interesting videos on this same video hosting site.
Their web site telling more about what they are doing is: Here.

Sam's Super Samwichs

Yes, that's right, we finally went to Sam's Super Samwichs in Homewood. I have intentionally moved Sam's down the list so we would visit other places first. For many years my office was very close to Sam's and I became a regular customer. I have always considered one of the best hot dog stands I know of.

On this visit we had an entourage of four. We went for an early lunch which is a switch from our usual late lunch. When we arrived Sam didn't seem to be around. We later found that he was in the back working on some sauce. I enjoyed a short conversation with him before we left. I'm sure the reader remembers my previous posting regarding the Graphos family. Sam's was started and is still run by Sam Graphos, one of the three Graphos brothers.

His heritage in the hot dog business has translated into a top drawer product.

Robert and I each ordered our usual hot dog and chili dog, both "all the way" along with chips and a drink. We both added red pepper from one of the shakers on the counters. We ordered Golden Flake chips (We like to support the local company) and a drink. Here came the source of my one complaint for this visit. I ordered a Coca Cola but immediately realized that Sam's doesn't carry Coca Cole products, BOO HISS. I tried to get the attention of the old geezer who was preparing drinks so as to change my order but he dutifully gave me a Pepsi. I didn't think it was worth making an issue over so I took the Pepsi. As I consumed it I renewed my conviction that I really don't care for Pepsi.


Other than that we had a great meal. I continue to love the chili dogs at Sam's. My opinion is that they are perfect. You will never go wrong at Sam's.

Kosy Flavor - Five Points South

Kosy Flavor is this place this week.

I spotted this place a couple of months ago but just got around to visiting there this week. Kosy Flavor is a smoothy/ice-cream/hot dog place located in the Five Points South area. They are right next door to the well known pancake house. We included them in The Great Birmingham Hot Dog Tour since they have a large sign in the window advertising "Kosher Hot Dogs".

So Robert, Keith and I set off in the Keithmobile and ended up at Kosy Flavor. We were concerned that parking might be difficult in five points but actually found a convenient parking place quickly. Kosy Flavor was quiet; maybe too quiet. We couldn't help but wonder how long they will last, based on the business (or lack thereof) we observed.

Kosy is a very clean little place. We encountered a staff consisting of two Hispanic girls, one of whom spoke fairly decent English. The other didn't appear to understand much in the gringo tongue. The hot dogs are clearly billed as "jumbo" so we each ordered only one. They have a great deal, the combo of a hot dog, chips and a drink for about $4.00. The prices for their hot dogs and chili dogs seem to charge an extra premium for chili, but in the combo there is no additional charge. This might be a language problem or an oversight in setting up the buttons on the cash register; nevertheless the chili dog combo is a good deal.

The hot dogs come wrapped in a paper that labels them as "Nathen's". Robert took the initiative to ask about the hot dogs and discovered that they come from Sam's and the current staff couldn't remember the brand name. That's OK with me since my limited experience with Nathan's hot dogs has left me somewhat unimpressed.

These hot dogs were almost perfect. They were served hot with a very good chili. They didn't ask what we wanted on the chili dogs (I think the language barrier contributed). Robert and I like to have a little mustard and some onions (gardenias) on the chili dogs and missed having this added. We were able to add some mustard before we finished which helped.

All in all.... this is a good hot dog. Give it a try, SOON, they might not be around much longer based on the business we saw. This place was slow... I tried to talk to the one employee who appeared to understand some English and asked about the business flow there. I don't think she totally comprehended what I was asking; but she did indicate that business is usually slow.

Dogs As Well As Burgers At BoHo

This week we went to a new place, BoHo Burgers in Cahaba Heights. I had noticed this tiny little burger joint opening recently and was intrigued; so I stopped in last Saturday to look it over and pick up a menu. The menu included several different varieties of burgers as well as a "BoHo Bark", their hot dog. That led to giving this place a try. After we had ordered and were waiting for our order, I started taking a few pictures. This led to a discussion about why I wanted pictures and about the blog. The guys there admitted very quickly that BoHo is basically a burger place; but they have little to apologize about regarding the hot dogs.
There were three of us for lunch so we kept an eye out hoping the three stools in the "dining room" would be empty by the time our food was ready. We were thankful that the three guys eating there finished and left just before we were served, so we got the only three seats in the house.

We each ordered a hot dog and fries, then Keith ordered a hamburger which we split. Here's the biggest complaint about BoHo; the hot dogs at 3.50 each seem a little over priced. We had noticed the price and thought they surely would be jumbo hot dogs. They ended up being standard sized hot dogs; but the preparation to order is done carefully executed. The chef, Joseph Johnson, didn't just slap them together, but took time to present a perfect product. The hot dogs were split down the center and well grilled on both sides. We had each ordered bacon and cheese which was added before the grilling was completed. Then the dogs were placed on grilled/toasted buns and topped with "Texas caviar" and slaw for one of us. They were served hot and fresh off the grill. I added a little mustard to top mine off.
This is an unusual hot dog. They lack a couple of basic hot dog condiments (kraut and chili) but make up for it with the large variety of hamburger toppings they can add to a hot dog. We discovered they have a special sauce which they put on their burgers. It is a unique sauce somewhat like a roumilad sauce with a southwest flair. This sauce which comes on their signature burger should be a standard topping for their hot dogs. One last complaint must raise it's ugly head here; the fries were way too salty. All three of us agreed on that. Otherwise this was a good filling and enjoyable lunch, one we might go back for again.

Post Script (July 2011):
I have noticed that Boho was damaged in the storms of April, 2011 and has never reopened. The space is empty and the signs have been removed. It looks like this was a good excuse to not reopen a business that wasn't doing real well.